Prohibition on women voting in North, South Waziristan. PHOTO: AFP
Female voters of all ages were seen in large numbers in NA-36, Mohmand Agency, in what was the first time in the conservative tribal belt. But people were not so lucky in North Waziristan’s NA-40, and in NA-41 and NA-42 South Waziristan, where many women were prohibited from voting.
People thronged to polling stations in Ekka Ghund, Khowazai and Bazai in Mohmand Agency’s headquarters Ghallanai, early Saturday morning. Salma, a housewife told The Express Tribune, she faced no restrictions from her family members against voting.
Eighty-year-old Rubina said it was heartening to see so many women voters from the constituency and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made.
Meanwhile, Zarghoona, who was at the station with her granddaughter, said it was a good omen that tribal women were voting.
The presiding officer at Ekka Ghund polling station Ramdad Khan also confirmed the high number of female voters from the constituency.
Returning Officer Mohmand, Dr Ambar Ali, expressed satisfaction over the fact that the first elections in Fata were conducted with transparency where women were a decisive force.
“Nearly 64 out of 107 polling stations in the agency were set up for women and they participated fully without any hesitation,” Ali said.
Barring participation
Meanwhile, reports of women being prevented from voting were received from North and South Waziristan, mainly because of threats from the Taliban and tribal customs.
Announcements via loudspeakers were made in NA-40 North Waziristan on behalf of Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s shura telling women to refrain from stepping out of their homes to vote. A few days prior to elections, pamphlets were distributed across North Waziristan warning women not to vote and claiming it was against Shariah.
Abdul Majid, a resident of Mir Ali, said his wife was not voting “because she was uneducated,” adding he was against her voting as well.
On the other hand, a completely different situation emerged in NA-41 South Waziristan. While women were not allowed to leave their homes, men collected their computerised identity cards and then took them to polling stations for voting for the candidate of their own choice.
Meanwhile, for the NA-42 South Waziristan constituency separate polling stations were established for men and women in Gomal University, DI Khan and in Zam Public School, Tank for internally displaced Mehsud tribesmen. A large number of women arrived at the stations to vote, however, soon after voting began, at least 25 men entered the polling station in University Public School, opened the ballot boxes and tore up the voting sheets.
South Waziristan’s Assistant Political Officer Hamidullah Khattak confirmed the incident, adding he would take action and find a way to resolve the matter of wasted votes.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2013.
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